Iremember a time, not so long ago , when the church pews didn’t just hold people — they overflowed with them.

It was a specific kind of closeness unique to Christmas Eve.

Families were pressed shoulder-to-shoulder with coats piled high. Voices rose in unison to the holiday favorites we all knew by heart.

I remember a time, not so long ago …

The way the candlelight flickered across the faces throughout the congregation.

The profound hush that fell across the church just before the first notes of “Silent Night” were sung without hymnals.

Those lyrics carried a weight, a respect, that seemed to linger on the air long after the final verse was sung.

But lately, if you look around, you might notice how the landscape of this holy night has shifted.

Fewer people are spending the hours bef

See Full Page